


An Invasive Species of Oak

by Dareandwriteit



Category: Dungeons and Daddies (Podcast)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Happens at some point just before Henry goes to find his anchor, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Oakson if you really want it to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25381930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dareandwriteit/pseuds/Dareandwriteit
Summary: Henry's a man that's made some bad choices. But that's okay.His father's here to stop him making any more. He'll do a much better job playing Henry Oak than his son ever did.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 54





	An Invasive Species of Oak

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! I'm new to this fandom, but y'all seem chill and I've got some angst to share!
> 
> Barry Oak is arguably the worst and the fact he thinks he's got it all right gets under my skin. So that naturally lead to thought that he'd probably think "fine, I'll just do it then since you're refusing to take my advice" when it comes to parenting the twins.
> 
> I know canon will take a wrecking ball to this inevitably, but I gotta share the sadness before then.

“I’ve decided to help you, my son.”

Henry did not need to be in his body for his father to give him a migraine. Even in this purple void, the man was able to infuriate him beyond the point of reason. But help was something they desperately needed. Not that he didn’t trust the other dads, of course he did after all they’d done.

But being able to just go home? To see Mercedes? To be with his two beautiful boys in his own home?

“How?” He asked, glad that Darryl wasn’t there to point out how much of a hypocrite he was being. He’d been the one to insist they not listen to their fathers anymore the last few times they’d seen them.

Perhaps his father still had more influence over him than anyone else did, even after all this time away.

Ugh. No. Barry didn’t mean anything to him. He just needed something from him.

“I’m going to fix your greatest problem.” Barry said that that smile, that fucking smile that seemed like a smile but on looking back was nothing but hollow condescension.

“You’re going to let us go through the portal with our boys?” Henry asked, and immediately felt crushingly stupid for thinking it, even more so for saying it. Why did he always say the wrong thing around his father?

“No, no, no, my sweet boy. That won’t be happening. What I’m proposing is more, well, agreeable for everyone. You’re my new project, dear Henry.”

Now that sounded familiar, and not in a way Henry liked. “Just let us go father, our boys need their mothers, they need their _homes_!”

Barry shook his finger, tutted. Henry wished dearly that Glenn was here, he wouldn’t fall for-

Wait.

Why weren’t the others here?

“What they need is a father who can make good decisions.”

When did he even fall asleep?

“And I’m here to give them that!” Barry said with a grin, ignoring the swirling sensation that Henry felt in the pit of his gut, that seemed to smear the purple clouds surrounding them.

“W-what’s happening?” Henry stuttered, stumbling back. Where was he? This wasn’t a dream, he would’ve remembered arriving here, he wouldn’t be alone.

“You’re taking after that Stampler now, all these inane questions and bad ideas. I told you they were a bad influence.” Barry said, succinctly.

“Don’t talk about Ron like that! He’s just… going at his own pace!” That horribly familiar spark of anger burned at the front of his mind, and try as he might, he couldn’t stamp it out. His heart was hammering so fast against his ribs he could barely hear, could his father hear that?

“Deep breaths, Henry.” Barry said, a parody of comforting as he took a step towards Henry.

“Do not. Come near me.” Henry gasped, fists balled tight, fingernails biting into his palms. Try to stay calm. Think of Mercedes. Think of the boys. They wouldn’t want to see you like this. Just calm down. It’s easy. You’ve only done it every single day of your adult life.

Why couldn’t he calm down?

“Here.” Barry placed a placating hand on Henry’s shoulder, which Henry slapped away sharply.

“I said don’t touch me!” Henry barked, desperately trying to breathe and feeling no relief from it. Could Barry take the air away from him? He was trying to take everything else, why not that too?

“Follow my breathing.” Barry said, ignoring Henry’s frantic swatting at him to place one hand on his shoulder and another on his chest. 

“G-get away-” Henry stuttered, his attempts to push his father away feeling not dissimilar to pushing against concrete.

“ _Breathe_.”

Henry breathed. His lungs, moments ago spasming and stumbling in a panic, involuntarily drew cold air in. Held it, even as it burned and became uncomfortable to the verge of pain. 

“Much better.” Henry said, despite the fact he hadn’t. He took a step forward to embrace his father, though every inch of him screamed to tear the man limb from limb. 

“You can rest now Henry. A real father is taking over now.”

\----

Darryl woke up to the sensation of being suffocated. Of soft fabric pressed hard against his face, which he tore away with a panicked shout. 

Lark and Sparrow were sitting on his chest, giggling hysterically. Sparrow still had his pillow hugged tight to his chest, Lark clinging to edges of the one Darryl had ripped from his face.

“That time it was almost a whole minute!” Lark said gleefully, sending cold shocks of fear down Darryl’s spine.

“You shouldn’t- don’t- where’s your father?” Darryl stumbled, not sure where to start on telling these kids not to try and suffocate people while they're sleeping.

“He’s still sleeping!” Lark chirped, and Sparrow chimed in with, “we got bored!”

“Still sleeping?” Daryl said, checking his casio watch. 

8:30am. 8:30am?! Henry had never woken up later than 5am for as long as they’d known him.

“Did you play this game with Henry?” Darryl said, lifting the pillow up high before realising something. “Did he _lose this game_?”

“No… father’s never been asleep long enough before for it to be any fun.” Lark admits, a little… sad? Hard to tell with these two. “He always wakes us up.”

“Right… okay… listen, I’m gonna go check on your dad, kids. I’m sure he’s just tired, or something. Just… don’t play that game anymore. You’re gonna get someone really hurt.”

Lark and Sparrow’s eyes both flickered to look at Glenn’s sleeping form in the bed next to them, then to Ron sleeping ramrod still on the floor. “We promise!”

“I’m taking the pillows with me. Not because I don’t trust you…” Darryl trailed off, not making any effort to complete the thought as he slowly snuck out of the room. 

Darryl was not a very perceptive man. It wasn’t a fact he was particularly happy about, and he certainly tried his best, but he missed things. With Grant it felt like he missed almost everything despite his best efforts.

Looking at Henry’s room, even Darryl could tell something was deeply wrong. He couldn’t pin down why exactly, a neat room would’ve seemed stranger than a messy one, but it was _wrong_. Henry’s blanket was hurled across the room, bunched up against the window like he’d tried to throw it out in his sleep. Henry was still sleeping, but… he seemed so tense. His hands were balled into fists, the wrinkles on the sheets betrayed he’d been thrashing about in his sleep, he was mumbling something intense under his breath. His face was screwed up, and tears (I’ll tell people it’s sweat Henry, I wouldn’t embarrass you, Darryl promised to himself) stained his face. 

It was reassuring, in some awful way, that someone else was having nightmares. This was something Darryl could handle. Grant used to get scared by everything when he was little, and Darryl was the go to parent for nightmare freak outs. Good at distractions, at helping them realise it’s okay now because Darryl’s there to look after them.

“Hey, hey Henry.” Darryl placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder, shook him gently. “I-it’s alright man, it’s time to get up.”

Henry moved so fast Darryl could barely register it. His hand seized Darryl’s wrist and something… poisonous seeped through where Henry’s fingertips dug into his skin. He tried to pull away but Henry still held tight, traces of green visible beneath Darryl’s skin.

“Hey! Henry! Wake up man, it’s me, it’s Darryl, it’s okay!” Darryl bellowed, trying to resist the urge to scream. Nightmares aren’t anybody’s fault, Henry didn’t mean it. Grant gave him a bloody nose because of a nightmare once, a mild case of poisoning is no different.

Henry’s eyes snapped open. And they looked so afraid. So panicked that he seemed to not understand that he just needed to let go. He locked eyes with Darryl, on the verge on tears, shaking and struggling to breathe.

And then he blinked, and stopped panicking. He limply let go of Darryl, a calm placating smile on his face. He sat up, and stretched, and kept on smiling like nothing had happened.

“Whoa man, you alright? You seemed, ugh, pretty out of it there.” Darryl rubbed at his arm, wincing as he felt the poison sting like a fresh sunburn.

“Just… thinking about some mistakes I’ve made.” Henry said, apparently not noticing Darryl’s painful expression.

“You… you wanna talk about it?” Darryl suggested, before quickly realising what he offered and adding, “I mean, it’s all in the past man, it’s not like we can change it now.”

“You know, you’re right.” Henry placed a hand on Darryl’s shoulder. It was oddly cold. “I think, it’s gonna be alright.”


End file.
